Fulham are six points adrift of safety and face a difficult home clash with Aston Villa this afternoon.

Hodgson has returned to the English game 10 years after leaving Blackburn and he is under no illusions about the task now facing him.

“The pressure on managers mounts all the time and that pressure means it mounts on the players,” Hodgson told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme.

“Everybody is under no illusion about the need to perform and to win matches. I am comfortable in my job and confident of doing it so I don’t feel under pressure in that respect, but we know how important results are, how much it means to people and how much money is at stake if we fail.

“The threat and fear of relegation is haunting us all the time and there is no denying that puts pressure on us.

“The chairman has got a big heart for the club. Everybody realises when he took over it was lingering in the bottom reaches of the football league. He has taken them to the top half of the Premier League during his time as chairman.

“He has made it very clear to me that he regards Premier League status and the retention of that as a prime objective.”

Hodgson insists he will have no excuses should the bid for safety end in failure after receiving the full backing of Al Fayed.

“He has given me very good support in an attempt to improve the team and make things better,” he added.

“I can only say that his commitment to the club is certainly every bit as great, if not greater, than the rest of us.

“One can only say good things about him and what he is doing. We can only hope that we don’t let him down and produce the results and form necessary to keep us in the Premier League.

“But we all know it won’t be easy and the chairman is no fool. He also knows it is not as easy task we have been set but we will try not to let him down.”